As The Ravens Call
by ObviouslyADeathNoteFan
Summary: (New Title) Sequel to Raven. Two years after the Kira case, another notebook falls into the Human World. With their true names in this new Kira's hands, Raven and L can only hope that they're entertaining them enough to not end the game just yet. "'Cras, cras,' the Raven calls. Latin, my dear. Tomorrow, tomorrow." T for swearing, violence, and possible character death. Mild LxOC
1. Chapter 1: Names

_**AN**_

_Firstly, sorry for the summary. XD Anyhow, YAY! Someone actually wants me to write a sequel to Raven! Holy crap! (I'm excited, in case you didn't notice :3) Thank you so much for reading my stuff, geeks! Oh, and this is immediately after the epilogue of Raven. :D_

_**NOTE: I changed the title! **Not really anything more to add to that - just wanted to mention. XD  
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_Oh, I should probably mention: this strays completely from the original plot of Death Note. So, that means, that from here on out, everything will be from my imagination. :D (does this count as an AU? It pretty much left the plot behind after the Yotsuba Arc in the first fic, Raven.)  
><em>

_Your grateful, excited fellow geek, ObviouslyADeathNoteFan._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, or the A Wrinkle In Time books (or movie[s?]). Also, any names of real people or other fictional characters in this story are coincidental. (Every time I choose a name for an OC, I always wonder if someone actually has that name. XD)  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Last Chapter... (Raven's ending)<em>

_"L, Raven's death will be sudden..." she murmured. L said nothing, staring at the screen as though it insulted him. She stood, walking to the window and looking out at the city. "You think I may die, don't you?"_

_"... I don't know..." L answered honestly. She paused. Her eyes hardened, showing determination._

_"Well, Kira. Bring it on."_

* * *

><p><em>(immediately after Raven)<br>_

"... Yes, that was very dramatic of you, Ray, but this is serious," L sighed.

"I wasn't being dramatic," she complained, joining his side again. "Anyway, I know that this is serious. There's another Kira out there, threatening me, at least. They never said anything about you... Just that 'Raven's death will be sudden'. No threats for you..."

"I've noticed."

"Also, there's the fact that this Kira knows that we're together. Or, at least, we're working together," she bit her lip. "That could be dangerous..."

"I agree... We should be very careful from now on."

"Well, du-" she was interrupted by the door opening swiftly, banging against the wall. "... Don't knock it off of its hinges. You could just _open _the door*****.Anyway, what is it?"

"Is it true!?" Ray cocked her head to the side.

"Is what true, Mello?"

"Is it true that Kira's back!?"

"... Where did you hear that?"

"I'm not stupid, Raven. I saw the notes."

"... Yes, it's true, Mello," Ray confirmed, sighing. "And, yes, it seems that they've threatened me. But, I don't think there's any need to worry." Mello scoffed.

"Pfft! You only survived the first Kira because that stupid model-" Ray walked forward, looking right into his eyes.

"Do not talk about Misa like that. She was used, abandoned, and only got involved with Kira because Rem gave her the notebook. She saved me and asked me for help, because she knew that her _boyfriend_ was going to kill her at the soonest possible chance." Mello backed down, watching the floor.

"Sorry..." he mumbled. Ray leaned against the wall, absentmindedly combing out her hair, which had long since returned to its natural auburn.

"It's fine. Anyway, there's no need to worry. We'll deal with this mess."

"... Fine."

"Go to bed, Mello. It's far too late for you to be up. I know for a fact that Matt is waiting outside the door. You as well, young man," L spoke up for the first time since Mello's arrival. A brunette that Raven had never seen poked his head around the corner, cursing under his breath. Ray smiled.

"Sure, L. Hi, uhh..."

"Raven."

"I don't think we've met. I'm Matt."

"I gathered," Ray grinned, holding out a hand. He shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he said politely, turning to Mello. "We should go." The blond shrugged.

"Fine."

* * *

><p>"Ray, this is Nate, Mail, and Mihael, also known as Near, Matt, and Mello. Of course, you know Matt and Mello already." Ray smiled, holding out a hand to the white-haired boy. He stared at it for a moment before shaking it hesitantly.<p>

"Nice to meet you three. I've heard a lot about you, working with L for the last few years. Anyway-"

"You survived Kira's attack, right?" Her smile faltered as Nate spoke.

"... Yeah. A woman with another Death Note saved me."

"I see..." He twirled a lock of his hair, watching her thoughtfully.

"I knew her only briefly-" A loud ring interrupted her, coming from L's pocket. She sighed as he picked it up, with only two fingers, and answered the call.

"Ryuzaki! Is this true!? Is there a new Kira!?" A familiar voice filled his ears.

"Mister Yagami, hello again. Yes, it's true."

"They've threatened Raven?"

"It seems so."

* * *

><p>"They've what?"<p>

"The old Task Force has gathered again."

"In search of Kira? Well, no doubt."

"Yes. They know that we're in England, but that we'll be in Japan again soon."

"Alright. Are we going to use the old HQ?"

"I don't see why not. It'll need a good dusting, but it should be fine." Ray smiled, laying her head onto his shoulder.

"You've developed a sense of humor over the last couple of years, you know that? Before, I didn't know that you could joke. It's nice," she commented, her smile widening as she recognized the faint scent of strawberries, that always seemed to fill the air around him. She felt a piece of his hair tickle her cheek, but made no move to brush it away.

"I guess I have. You're right, I didn't joke, never. I wouldn't consider it." She grinned at the sarcasm in his voice.

"Well, you certainly do now."

* * *

><p><em>Blip.<em>

Ray looked over, her tired eyes falling on the laptop. She stifled a yawn, getting out of the bed slowly, silently, as to not wake the sleeping detective lying next to her. The light of the screen fell onto the wall, casting strange shadows, mixing with the eerie moonlight through the scattered clouds overhead. She paled as the message popped up, her bright blue eyes widening.

_"'Cras, cras,' the Raven calls. Tomorrow, tomorrow. Latin, my dear. You knew that already. I wonder why you lived? Maybe the Raven isn't all that bad. I mean, he saved your life."  
><em>

Ray's breath hitched. "Oh god... He knows about..."

_Blip._

A new message popped up, just below the other.

_"Don't worry, little Ray, I won't hurt you. Yet. I'd be more worried about the little L's of the Wammy House. Nate, Mihael, and Mail, right? Keep an eye on them, as well as the other detective. Kira will rise again, but I wont make the mistake that the other two did."_

She noticed a chat window, very similar to the one that she had spoken to L with the first time that he had contacted her. She typed into it, sudden fury overtaking her.

_"Leave them alone, you son of a bitch."_

_"Do you know their last names?"_

Her eyes widened in horror.

_"In order, I suppose, it would be L Lawliet, Nate River, Mihael Keehl, Mail Jeevas. You, Raven, are the only surviving one of the first batch of successors, Raelyn Caw."_

_"How do you know my name? As well as the other successors?"_

_"It'd spoil the fun if I told you, my dear."_

_"Don't call me 'dear'. Stay the hell away from them. What do you want?"_

_"To create a perfect world."_

_"Got that. But why? You obviously know what happened to the last Kira."_

_"Of course. I'm not stupid enough to make the same mistake."_

_"Cocky."_

_"Well, there's a reason to be, after all."_

_"And that would be?"_

_"You'll find out soon, my dear. Expect to hear from me again, very soon." _

_"Wait. I have a question."_

_"Yes?"_

_"If you know our names, why don't you just kill us?"_

_"Was that a request?"_

_"No. I'm just curious."_

_"Because; It wouldn't be nearly as fun."_

_'Calm down, Ray. Calm down.' _The window closed, leaving the blank background of the laptop. Anger quickly turned to fury as she sat there, trying to get her breathing under control. She stood quickly, stepping out into the hall. She went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, trying to avoid throwing something.

She reached for the kettle, when something caught her eye. There was a small amount of blood underneath her fingernails, as well as little crescent shaped wounds in her palms. _'When did...?' _She sighed, not noticing someone walk into the dark room. They paused.

"Hello?" She jumped nearly a foot in the air, wheeling around to face them. They flicked on a light, their gray eyes fixed on her.

"L? Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Are you alright? You're bleeding." She looked down at her hands.

"I had a nightmare," she lied easily. _'There's no need to make him worry. It'll be okay...' _L stepped forward, getting a white washcloth out of a drawer and turning on the faucet. He gently took her hand, patting away the blood. "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

"It wasn't a nightmare, was it?"

"... What makes you think that?"

"You seem nervous. What is it, Ray?" She bit her lip.

"... This new Kira contacted me. They know our names." L froze, the damp cloth still pressed to her hand.

"How?"

"I asked. They said that it wouldn't be fun if they told us. Nate, Mail, Mihael, you, me... They know who we all are..." He let go of her hand, turning to the faucet again. When the white cloth was clear of red, he wrung it out and took her other hand.

"This isn't good. Did they tell you anything else?"

"They said that they'd contact me again soon. And that they weren't as stupid at the first Kira."

"I see..." Ray's hands trembled slightly. L steadied them, raising one to his lips. A small smile crept onto her own lips at the effort to calm her down. "It'll be okay."

"... I know..."

* * *

><p><em>* - A Wrinkle In Time reference, anyone? :D (technically, A Wind in the Door. And it's an incredibly vague reference.<em> XD)**  
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	2. Chapter 2: Frustration

_**AN**_

_Hello, once again, fellow geeks! This took so long to write, and it's still short! XD  
><em>

_Thank you to **Light Yagami Hater** and** princesslolitatheorca654** for reviewing! _

_NOTE: I'm changing the dream font to plain italic. But, it'll be easy to tell a nightmare from thoughts or dialogue over a computer. Sorry for any OOCness. It's hard to write L fluffies and keep him in-character! :/ Err, I'm not really sure why I put this here, because there isn't a dream in this chapter. Ehh, whatever. :D**  
><strong>_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**_

* * *

><p><em>Japan<br>_

"Raven!" She looked up suddenly, cocking her head to the side. She nearly dropped the cup of coffee that she had been pouring milk into.

"Matsuda? Guys! Hey!" She grinned at the Task Force. "How's it been?"

"Alright... Hey, uh..." Matsuda started.

"Hmm?"

"Aren't you worried? I mean... Kira's back and he threatened you."

"Yeah. I'm not really worried about myself, though. It's mostly you guys, Ryu, M, N, and the other M." Matsuda looked at her with confusion.

"Who's that?" Aizawa asked before Matsuda had the chance, making Raelyn smile.

"L's successors. They're quite brilliant, really."

"Yes. They'll be more than worthy of my title." Ray whirled around, startled.

"Flippin' sneak! I didn't know you were there," she grumbled, grinning. "But... You won't need successors."

"I will some day." Ray sighed.

"... Ryu, why do you think I got so mad when you talked about them? You seem to accept the fact that you will die on a case, and will rely on your successors to fill your place as L."

"Some day, I'm sure that I will." She sighed, turning to the two silent members of the Task Force.

"Eh, anyway. Hey guys, it's nice to see you again." Taking this as a dismissal, they nodded, going to start on the new Kira case. She turned back to L.

"I'm sorry, Ray. I didn't mean to bring up-"

"It's alright. It's just a bit of a sore subject. Though, I have to say, don't ever say that they'll be more than worthy of your title again. It makes me feel like you think that people should worship the ground that you walk on."

"I didn't mean it like that, but alright."

"We should get to work."

"Yes."

* * *

><p><em>Blip.<em>

All silenced as Ray's laptop beeped. L immediately stood and walked over to her, watching the laptop screen carefully. He glanced at the Task Force, silently warning them to stay back. _'Kira will probably use Raelyn's real name while they're talking. I still don't want them to know.'_

_"Well, Raelyn. In Japan again? Well, it's to be expected. Figured out my location already, have you?"_

_"It wasn't that hard. Focusing on Japanese criminals, especially those in the Kanto region. You led us here. As well as the fact that the Task Force had gathered here."_

_"Yes, I did. The Task Force is not of concern to me."_

_"So you wanted us in Japan?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Why?"_

_"I'm following Light Yagami's footsteps."_

_"You have the Shinigami eyes, do you not?"_

_"I do not."_

_"Oh?"_

_"The fool is willing to do anything for the return of Kira. Think about that for a while. There may, after all, be more than one Death Note."_

_"So, you do have an accomplice, then."_

_"I do."_

_"Why tell me this?"_

_"Why not?"_

_"You called him a fool. A fool may slip up or reveal something."_

_"Maybe so. He understands to be careful, however. I will not hesitate to kill him if necessary."_

_"Cold."_

_"Indeed."_

_"Tell me something."_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Your accomplice has seen all of our faces, as well as our names. How?"_

_"Let me give you a hint. Do not trust anyone. Anyone but the one you love, anyway."_

Raelyn froze. _'The one you love... L... Kira knows.'_

"It'll be alright, Ray. Just continue," L murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder in a calming manner.

_"I am not in love."_

_"Oh? Then what do you call your relationship with the other famous detective?"_

_"He is nothing to me."_

It physically hurt her to type the words.

_"You cannot deny what is blatantly obvious, Raelyn. You love him."_

_"I said it before. He is nothing to me."_

_"So, shall I go ahead and kill him?"_

She froze again, her eyes widening. She felt L tense ever-so-slightly.

_"NO"_

_"Nothing to you, hmm? Anyhow, I must be off. If you want my advice, be entertaining. Don't let me get bored."_

The window closed again, leaving the blank desktop. She sighed, closing the laptop and shoving it away from her, betraying her annoyance, which was mostly aimed at herself.

"Damn it!" The Task Force jumped at her sudden -very loud- outburst while L fell backward, off of the chair. At any other time, she would have laughed at this or asked if he was alright, but she barely noticed. She sighed, standing. "I apologize for my language. I need a moment."

She left the building quickly, the door swinging shut with a _clang_ behind her. She bit down on her lip in frustration, breathing in the cold autumn air. It soothed her considerably, the slight breeze blowing gently past her. She closed her eyes, relaxing in the night air. The smell of leaves and damp earth filled the air, reminding her of the last two autumns that she had spent with L. She smiled.

"Raelyn?" She turned her head, opening her eyes, and watched L walk up silently. "Are you alright?" She sighed.

"Frustrated with myself. I just... I-" L put a finger to her lips, startling her slightly. She smiled.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine." Her smile faded as she took his hand, holding it in both of hers.

"I don't know... I don't see how you can be so calm about this... Kira is back, and this isn't Light. We've no idea of who this could be; no suspects, no evidence, no clues... Can't trace our conversations over the laptop. We've _nothing_ to go on. I get the feeling that this Kira likes to watch us try to piece things together."

"You may be right. If that's true, we need to all be on our toes at all times." She snickered.

"You're always crouching. Does that count?" He stared at her thoughtfully for a moment, allowing himself a small grin.

"... Yes." She grinned, leaning against him.

"How you always manage to calm me down like that is beyond me," she murmured, toying with a lock of his hair.

"Not a bad thing, is it?"

"No, of course not. It's awesome."

"Raelyn... I have something to ask of you."

"Sure."

"Next time Kira contacts you, let me talk to them." She froze, letting his hair fall from her fingers. She took a deep breath, drawing back. _'He's so confident, as always.' _She hesitated.

"... If you think that you should, go ahead." He nodded.

"Alright. Thank you, Raelyn."

"Hey, are you sure that you should be saying my name? I mean..."

"It's fine. I ordered the Task Force not to come out and there's no one else around."

"Oh. Alright. Hey, L, promise me something?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me that you won't do anything overly stupid? Or, at least, you'll be careful?"

"Only if you do as well." She grinned.

"Fine."


	3. Chapter 3: Game

**AN**

**Sorry for the wait, fellow geeks! EEEK! I'm so sorry for the lack of updating! This week has been busy and stressful. :p I'll try to update soon!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. (it's called FANFICTION for a reason!)**

* * *

><p><em>An empty plain stood before her, a dead wasteland of sand and dust. There was no life, no color, only dirt and stones for who knows how much farther. 'It's raining,' Raelyn thought, hearing the pitter-patter of rain falling around her, yet not on her. She looked up. 'No, not raining. It's storming.' The sky showed nothing beyond the raging storm above her, but she felt no rain or wind. Curious, she looked back at the horizon.<em>

_Something a few miles ahead, moving at an incredible pace, caught her eye. She realized where it was headed just a second before it arrived, if that._

_WHOOOSH!_

_She leaped out of the way, barely managing to avoid being hit by the... 'Train? No tracks... It looked old.' Catching her breath, she turned around. There was nothing there. A feeling of unease grew within her, urging her to turn around once more. Hesitantly, she did._

_She screamed._

* * *

><p>"Raelyn!"<p>

She sat up quickly, gripping the sheets tightly. She looked over, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight. L had crouched down beside her, his eyes wide. "Are you alright? You were having a nightmare..."

"Er, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I was already up. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. Just a bad dream," she smiled at his concern. "I haven't had... One of _those_ dreams in a while. I don't think that this meant anything," she assured him, though something in the back of her mind told her otherwise.

"Hmm..."

"It'll be alright, you said so yourself." She took his hand, holding it in a reassuring gesture.

"I suppose..."

"Don't worry so much. If anyone's in immediate danger, it's me."

"Oh? Why?"

"Well, think about it. Who has Kira contacted directly? While it is true that they know all of our names, why tell _me_? They mentioned that they view this as a source of entertainment, much like Ryuk did. Hell, Ryuk could be the one who dropped the Death Note. Again."

"It's possible..."

"Well, it's _possible_, but, I think I can safely say that I didn't." Raelyn jumped off of the bed and whipped around, her face going as pale as the Shinigami's, and her eyes going nearly as wide. L stiffened, slowly turning his head to look at him. "No need to be so surprised," Ryuk chuckled.

Raelyn stuttered for a moment before managing, "W- why are you here, Ryuk? I thought that you were back in the Shinigami Realm..."

"You haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what? The other notebook? That wasn't you?" she asked quickly.

"Nope. I came down to watch. So far, it's been fun," Ryuk laughed again.

"If you didn't drop the notebook, then who did?" L asked, speaking for the first time since Ryuk's arrival. The Shinigami shrugged.

"Dunno," he grinned. Raelyn sat back down on the bed, beside L.

"That look says that you do. Can you tell us?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Why not? I'll give you an apple," she tried_._

"I really don't know, kid. All I heard was that there was another Death Note in the Human World and I came to see what you two were doing."

"Hmm..."

"Although, an apple would be nice..."

Raelyn and L shared a glance as they sighed in unison. This was going to get annoying.

* * *

><p>A pair of dark eyes scanned over the page, taking in the names that had been written. <em>'I wonder what Raelyn's reaction was to first finding out about me.' <em>Closing the notebook, they stared at the cover for a moment, cupping their chin in thought. _'It'll only be a matter of time before they find me. Hah, I'll be ready.'_

"Shinigami," they muttered, turning around. They gestured back at the notebook lazily, spinning around in the chair in slow circles.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Tell me something."

"What?"

"The first Kira knew all about this; is there anything that I don't? Anything at all?"

"Nope. You've read over all of the rules, haven't you?"

"Yes, of course. I was thinking of any rules that weren't written down."

"No, they're all there." Dark eyes met brightly colored yellow ones, silently daring the Shinigami to lie to them. _'This Shinigami's a wimp. He's so afraid of me, yet he's the one who gave me the notebook in the first place. Why?'_

"Also, one more question."

"Er, yeah?"

"Why did you give this to me if you're afraid of humans?"

"Well... The first Kira had a Shinigmai, named Ryuk, obviously, that followed him around. In the first place, Ryuk stole my Death Note and dropped it without my permission," he explained, picking up a chocolate bar with talon-like fingers. "and, obviously, the first Kira found it. I got it back after the first Kira died, and got bored, like Ryuk did. Anyway, I dropped it into the Human World for fun, but I didn't think that you guys would be so... Well... Like you, I guess. You know, you can be pretty scary sometimes," he chuckled, munching happily on the chocolate.

"I see..."

"Can I ask why?"

"Yes, you can. You don't need my permission, Sidoh, if you have a question, you can just ask me. Anyway, I was just curious. You seem rather, well, afraid of me, really." The Shinigami snorted, earning a glare. He seemed to shrink back a bit, getting another snicker. "You really _are_ afraid of me, aren't you?"

"No way!"

"Well, whatever. It'll only be a matter of time before L and this 'Raven', or Raelyn, find me."

"Shouldn't that worry you?" they snickered again.

"Not at all. Love is a strange thing, Sidoh. I have no doubt that, if need be, Raelyn would sacrifice her life for his."

"Uhh..."

"What?"

"What does that have to do with wh-"

"Everything. I can use this to my advantage. I want this show to be long and entertaining, and this will be exactly what I was looking for."

"How?"

"I don't plan on killing them yet, or really any time soon. Much more fun to simply watch them dance around the palm of my hand, thinking that their 'brilliant' theories and ideas are oh-so-smart, when in reality, they're playing the parts of fools, being manipulated and humiliated until their ends."

"... Oh," Sidoh mumbled over a mouthful of chocolate. The figure stopped spinning, ignoring their slight dizziness and stopping at the notebook. _'This has been a good days' work, I'm done for tonight.'_ They rolled away from the desk quickly, startling the Shinigami.

"Well, 'night Sidoh. 'm goin' to bed."

As they walked off, rubbing their eyes sleepily, Sidoh finished his chocolate and stared at them in slight fascination. _'She's so... Strange. Dropping the notebook was the best thing I've done in a decade. Ryuk was right! This is fun!'_

* * *

><p>"Listen you three, I don't want to hear about how you can take this Kira down. This is far beyond anything you've dealt with before, and you're only, what, all around fifteen? Sixteen, maybe? You may be L's successors, but don't think for a moment that either of us will be-" Raelyn began, looking at the three boys on the laptop screen. With the camera, she was able to watch their reaction of her words. With the exception of a fuming Mello, they seemed rather bored.<p>

"We just want to help you two," Mello grumbled. "and anyway, I'm sixteen, old enough to live out on my own!" Raelyn's eyes hardened.

"No, you aren't, Mello. Just stay out of this case, alright? I just want you to be safe. We'll give you frequent updates on the case." Mello angrily snapped off a piece of chocolate in that overly-dramatic way of his, rolling his eyes. He stood suddenly, walking towards the door.

"Fine then! Leave me out of this, keep me 'safe' by not letting me know what we're up against! We'll be absolutely peachy, in our _graves_!"

_SLAM!_

Raelyn winced, the loud sound echoing in the two otherwise silent rooms. She glanced up, glad that no one else was in the room with her. Matt sighed, pausing his game. He looked up.

"He's got a point, you know. If we're L's successors, we can't not know what we're facing. Especially with this Kira bullshit. If you two were to die, we'd be the only ones left to stop this bastard."

"I know... I already said that we'd be giving you updates. You'll know what I can tell you without putting you in danger."

"Yeah, but say Kira kills you guys. What then? What about what will put us in danger?"

"Watari or the Task Force will send you the information we have," she stated blandly.

"And if they're killed as well?"

"Then you hack us, Matt," she sighed exasperatedly. "You find what you need to know and pick up where we left off. Assuming that you would go after Kira, that is."

"Well, yeah. Obviously. The only thing keeping us from going after them now is you two."

"I guess..."

From the floor, Near spoke for the first time during the whole conversation. "If you, L, and the Task Force were to be killed, we would find whatever information you have, and keep searching."

"Near, do me a favor," Raelyn suddenly asked. He looked up, a small curl of white hair falling from his fingers.

"What is it?"

"Keep them safe. Mello especially. That idiot's gonna get himself killed if he lets his emotions get control over him so easily like that..." She caught a small smile on the little albino's face, nearly dismissing it as her imagination. She returned it.

"I will."

"Same goes for you, Matt. Look after each other, alright? Even if L and I are gone, I want you three to be safe, got it?" The brunette nodded.

"Sure. But, don't sound like you've just given up hope of getting out of this alive, Raven."

_'I'm not sure that I will, Matt,' _she thought, nodding with a false smile.

"Alright. I haven't given up, and I won't."

* * *

><p>Matt paused his game once more as the laptop screen went dark. Glancing at Near, he quickly walked out of the room, heading for Mello's.<p>

Upon arriving, he stopped outside of the door, listening for a moment.

_Snap!_

He grinned, pushing the door open as he heard the familiar noise of the chocolate bar. Mello glared at him, but said nothing as the brunette sat on his bed. For once, he noted, Matt had no game or hand held gaming device in his hands. He vaguely wondered where it had gone, but didn't put too much thought into it. Matt was a weird guy sometimes.

"She only wants what's best for us, Mell," he said quietly, all traces of humor or that usual grin having faded from his expression. He shoved his goggles up, so that they rested on his forehead, as to try to be a bit more serious. Surprisingly, it worked rather well. Mello sighed, putting down his chocolate.

"I know that, Matt... But... We don't know-"

"We don't have to rely on their investigation, you know. We _could_ start our own." Mello frowned at this.

"But they said to stay out of it."

"It was only a suggestion, Mell. Anyway, I agree with both of you on this. Raven wants us to be safe, and I do too, but I also think that, in case we need it, we should have everything that they've got on this Kira."

"Yeah... I never said that we wouldn't be safe-"

"No, maybe you didn't say that, but this is dangerous no matter how you look at it. We could be killed anyhow, whether we're on this investigation or not. Kira doesn't care. We're L's successors, after all."

"That's true, but Raven is one too. Granted, she's one of the previous batches of successors, but she is still possibly the most likely out of any of us to be a successor if L dies."

Matt narrowed his eyes a bit in thought. "I really doubt that, Mell. She ran away from the orphanage to _avoid_ being L's successor. As well as the fact, of course, that she went to find the guy who killed her parents..."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"You still bitchy about not being number one?"

Mello scowled at this, muttering, "Maybe..."

Matt grinned, shoving his goggles back into place.

"C'mon, you sore loser. Let's go play some video games." Mello grinned, his scowl disappearing, and grabbed his chocolate again as Matt rushed out of the room, heading for his own.

_'Maybe not being number one isn't so bad after all. I'd get a lot less time with Matt if I was...'_ He brushed the thoughts out of his mind as he ran off after his friend, ignoring the sigh of annoyance thrown his way by another orphan.


	4. Chapter 4: Sayu

**AN**

_ACK! I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING THIS LATE! I meant to update last night, but, like a derp, I accidentally spilled water onto the power strip. Thankfully, everything turned out fine, nothing was lost (or fried). YAY! This is much longer than usual! (Again, YAY!) This chapter is pretty rushed, sorry. XD_

_Thank you so much** Light Yagami Hater**, **X Mika-Chan X**, and **Guest**(**s**? XD) for reviewing! _

_**Guest** - I MUST DENY THIS THEORY! (Though, I honestly had considered it.) Sayu is not Kira! Though, she will have a part in this story. :D_

_**Light Yagami Hater** - Thank you so much! I'm having a lot of fun writing this.  
><em>

_**X Mika-Chan X **- Nah, no notebooks for Sayu. Thank you! XD  
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_NOTE: Also, thank you to** PattyPop**! I didn't see your review until just now. It's awesome to see that people actually like reading anything I write. :)  
><em>

_Thank you all for reading!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

* * *

><p><em>'I guess there's not much we can do at this point but speculate... If this Kira knows all about the previous, as well as the orphanage... No, they mentioned something about having an accomplice. Could that person be how this Kira knows about, well, everything? <em>

_'If that's true... I'd say that it's obvious that this Kira knows about everyone who worked on the previous case. Light, Misa, L, the Task Force, me... Is it possible that they somehow knew Light, or someone from the previous Kira case? A Shinigami maybe? I guess it could be possible... After all, I was more involved in that case than I ever would have thought. Damn notebooks! Why can't Shinigami stay in their own world?'_

Raelyn sighed, slumping forward slightly in her chair. _'Kira has been... Abnormally quiet for the last few days... What could they be planning?' _

Glancing at the clock, she raised the cup in front of her to her lips. Her eyes widened at the coldness of the coffee, which seemed to have cooled off considerably in the last five minutes. She grimaced, swallowing it, not without a small noise of surprise.

"Blech!" She shook her head at a curious glance from L, grinning to herself at the sudden -rather unexpected- sound, earning the attention of most of the room. "Cold coffee." She thought she caught a small smirk as he turned back to the monitor. Feeling the tap of a bony finger on her shoulder, she tossed an apple from a nearby bowl into the air behind her. Rolling her eyes as she heard a crunch, she yawned.

She suddenly spun around in the chair, once again earning the attention of everyone in the room. "Ryuk, you say that you know nothing of who dropped this new notebook, correct?"

"Nope. Unless, of course, I do know them, but I don't know that they've dropped a Death Note." Raelyn groaned.

"Never with the 'yes' or 'no' answers, huh?"

The Shingiami grinned, shrugging, "Sorry."

* * *

><p>"Sayu, dinner!"<p>

Nearly dropping her book in surprise at the sudden disruption of silence, Sayu looked up.

"Uh, yeah! Be down in a sec," she called, sticking a bookmark onto the page before closing it, tossing it onto her bed.

She paused in the hallway, catching sight of a picture on the wall. It was an old family photo, taken a few years back. _'We all looked so much happier, back then... How times change...' _Shaking her head slightly, she walked quickly down the stairs. _'I wonder what Light would've made of all of this 'Kira returns' bull.' _

"Sayu, are you alright?" her mother asked, laying a plate down on the table in front of her. She smiled falsely, pulling a chair from the table as her mother sat down.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Oh, you just look, well, tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Yeah mom, I've been fine." She hadn't truly been. She had been thinking about the Kira case, how it had apparently ended, and how it had started up again, just a few weeks ago. _'Around... November something. It's, what, the... Twenty-second of December?'_

She had been told, along with her mother, that Light had been killed in an accident. The fact that Kira had disappeared almost immediately after this hadn't gone unnoticed by her, and, to be honest, she was actually rather surprised that her mother hadn't thought of it.

She also thought of the woman, who had attended Light's funeral, saying that she was a friend of Light's. _'I can't remember her name... It was... I dunno, something starting with R. Ray, maybe? Rei...?' _Sayu remembered thinking that it had been a little odd that she had never seen this woman, or heard Light speak of her.

_'Light had started locking his door after the Kira case began, I had heard him shouting a lot about justice, and Kira simply disappears right after his death...?' _It just didn't sit right with her somehow. She felt guilty for even considering that Light could have been involved somehow, but she hadn't been able to ignore his odd behavior even before he had been killed. _'It's not like I think that Light was Kira...'_

_'And anyway,'_ she had told herself, _'Kira is back.'_ How could Light have any sort of connection with this, if he was dead?

_'Is it possible that however Kira killed could've been passed on to someone else? Could Kira have been resting for some reason?'_ This idea struck her as unlikely.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Snapping to attention, she smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, I'm just kinda tired is all," she picked at her food, not particularly hungry.

"Alright, if you say so... Oh, did you talk to Yuki? She was asking about you."

"Oh, no, I haven't. Thanks for reminding me. After dinner, I'm goin' to go out for a bit."

"Alright."

* * *

><p>Raleyn sighed in frustration. <em>'We <em>_still__ haven't found __anything__! This is driving me insane!' _

"Raven?" She glanced at L, shaking her head.

"Yep. I'm going on a walk. Clear my head a bit. I'll be back in a few." She stood abruptly, pushing her chair back into its place.

Receiving a couple of glances from the Task Force, as well as a nod from L, she was out the door.

She admired the little white flakes falling around her, swirling through the air as though in some sort of dance. She enjoyed the sound of crunching underfoot as she stepped through some of the fallen snow on the pavement. As her anxiety and frustration faded, she took a few deep breaths of the cold, crisp air. Clouds overhead warned of a snowstorm somewhere in the near future. Focusing on her feet and the snow around her, she didn't notice the girl walking towards her.

* * *

><p>Sayu looked down at her boots, enjoying the feeling of snow settling around, as well as on, her. <em>'This is nice.' <em>

Noticing something at the top of her vision, she looked up, just in time to run into her. Before she could stop herself, she stumbled, colliding into Raelyn.

She laughed awkwardly as she straightened herself. Getting her first good look at the woman in front of her, vague recognition picked at her mind. _'Wait... I know her...'_

"Err, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention... Hey, wait... Do I know you...?"

"That's fine! Wait... Oh, hey! Sayu! That's it! I'm Rei, we met a couple of years ago."

"Oh, right! Rei! Sorry, I was just out for a walk and didn't see you there!"

"No, that's alright. Same," she laughed. A cold gust of wind made them both shiver, sending snowflakes flying around them for a moment, catching Raelyn's attention.

She blinked, focusing on Sayu again, who was looking at her curiously. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry. Anyway, I should probably get-" a ringing cut her off. She sighed, pulling out her phone. Glancing at the caller, she ignored it. _'L, you can wait a minute.' _"... Going. Sorry about that," she laughed. Sayu smiled.

"Yeah, I should too."

With a somewhat awkward goodbye, they turned, leaving. _'I can't imagine the hell that she's been through, these last couple of years. Neither her father nor brother was home, really, ever. Then, out of nowhere, Kira shows up, and a few months later, Light dies in an 'accident'. If she knew... It'd only be worse.' _A ringing interrupted her thoughts. _'Crap. Forgot.' _

Keeping an eye out for anything else she might come across, she took out her phone, answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Raven. You were talking to Sayu Yagami, correct?" Curious, she nodded. _'Oh, right, he can't see me.' _

"Yeah, why?"

"This Kira obviously knows who Light was, what he did, and how he did it. They know about the Death Note: what if Sayu found it?"

Raelyn stopped cold in her tracks. _'How did I not think of this before!? Sayu, the innocent, sweet little kid, who would never gain any kind of suspicion. It'd be genius.' _"I... I don't know... Damn it, how did I not think of that?"

"Did you notice anything strange about her?"

"No, not at all. I ran into her, literally. She remembered me, but it didn't seem like she knew me, really..."

"Ray, I want you to introduce yourself to Sayu as Raven."

"Uh... You sure?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p>"Suspecting Sayu, eh?" a laugh echoed off of the walls, before abruptly falling silent, only adding to the eerie affect that the dark room already possessed.. "Hmm... Maybe I can use this somehow."<p>

"How?"

"I don't know yet, Sidoh." _'Maybe I'll mess with them a bit. Hmm... This is interesting.'_

* * *

><p>The sound of the doorbell startled Sayu. She stood, setting down her book, and quickly ran down the stairs. <em>'Right, mom's out, dad's at work.'<em>

She blinked as she opened the door, ignoring the few snowflakes flying inside.

"Rei? What are you doing here?"

"Err, it's kinda hard to explain," she laughed. _'I really hope that I'm not coming off as creepy right now...'_

"Uh... What is?"

"You're probably not gonna believe me, but I'm sure that you've heard of this 'Kira's comeback' thing? Well, I-"

"Yes... Sorry, what did you need again?" Raelyn sighed.

"I'm working with your father on the investigation."

Sayu's eyes widened. _'But... Dad said that he was working with... L, and, oh, who else was it!? Famous detective, rose to attention recently. R, Something... Ray... Rayyyy... Ray, something with V... Ray... Ven? Raven! Yeah, that's it. Anyway, why is Rei here?' _"Yes... Alright..."

"Well... I'm sure that you've heard of the two detectives also working on this case?"

"L and Raven, right...?"

"Yes," Raleyn smiled. "Well, I'm Raven."

Sayu gaped at Raelyn, her mouth falling open, looking rather ridiculous. Raelyn grinned at her obvious shock.

"_You're Raven_!?"

"Yep. Not so loud, would ya?"

"Why..."

"Why what?"

"Why tell me? What have I go to do with this? Why are you telling me about this?" Raelyn's smile faltered. She sighed, letting her expression turn to serious grimness. Sayu was a little taken aback. _'What have I got to do with this!?'_

"Well... To be honest, I needed to see your reaction."

"... Okay... Well, I- wait what!? You mean to tell me that you potentially put yourself in _serious_ danger, just because you needed to see _my_ reaction!? Are you _nuts_, you idiot!?"

"Nope. If anyone's nuts, it's L," she smiled. "Anyway, you-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a sec. I know your identity now, by which I mean, I know your face, and that you're Raven. You're just gonna walk away now? Isn't that, I dunno, dangerous or something?"

"And this case isn't? Anyway, I agree."

"What?"

"Yep." She shivered, drawing Sayu's attention. _'Right. It's __snowing__. She must be freezing. Though, I have no idea of who she is...'_

Without making her movements very noticeable, she drew out her phone. _'Just in case...'_

"Look, kid, I'm not here to hurt you or to give you any Kira bullcrap. I'm seriously working with your father, as well as L, on this case. Here," she pulled out her own phone, playing a recording. Sayu relaxed slightly at hearing the voice the voice of her father.

_"Sayu. I'm very sorry about this, but L wanted to test your reactions to someone claiming to be one of the greatest detectives in this century, as people have said. But I wanted to confirm for you that this is, in fact, Raven. I trust her with my life. I'm sorry that I could not be there in person to avoid confusion."_

Sayu smiled. _'If my father can trust her... Then, I think I can as well.'_ She stepped aside, allowing Raleyn entrance.

"Err, alright... My father wouldn't lie." Raelyn winced at these words, remembering that Light had said the same thing at one point or another. "If you want to come in, it's snowing out here, and you must be freezing. Anyway, there'd be no chance of anyone overhearing our conversation."

Raelyn hesitated.

"... Fine."

* * *

><p>After the door had shut and Sayu had put the kettle on, they both sat down at the table to continue talking. She was still slightly on edge, but she had taken in Raelyn's unconscious habits, read her expression, and found no intent of harm in anything about her.<p>

"So... Why?"

Knowing exactly what Sayu was asking, Raleyn smiled. "Well, now I know what your reaction would be."

"... And? You're just gonna leave, letting me continue with my daily life knowing that you're Raven?" Raleyn shrugged.

"Pretty much. 's not like you're in danger."

"... What makes you think that I want to go back to my normal life like that?"

Raelyn cocked her head to the side, confused. "What do you mean?"

"What if I wanted to join in the case!?" Sayu asked excitedly, her eyes seeming to sparkle.

"... What." It was more of a statement than a question.

"What if I could join in the case!?"

"No way. No way, no way, no way. That _would _be dangerous. I'm not letting a little kid into-"

"But you let my _brother _in!"

Raelyn froze while Sayu smirked. "Based on your reaction, Raven, I'd say that my deduction was correct."

"... No, you're wrong. Light-"

"Was in the Task Force."

"No, he wasn't-"

"There's no use in denying it now, Raven. You froze when I mentioned it, you're sweating, and you keep looking around. Those are signs of anxiety and worry, right there. As well as the fact that you don't seem to want to make eye contact, suggesting that you may very well be lying to me."

_'Damn, this kid is smart.'_ Raelyn held back a smile. _'She's good.'_

"..."

"If Light was on the Task Force, why can't I be?"

"No way, Sayu."

"Why not!? I'm so bored here!" Raelyn sighed.

"For one, your father would have my head. Secondly, I'm not letting you in, because this Kira knows who we all are, and, truth be told, could kill us at any moment." Sayu's eyes widened.

"I'm not worried about my safety," Sayu began.

"... You aren't. I am. If I did let you onto the investigation, which I won't, if anything happened to you, I'd never be able to forgive myself. Your parents would fall apart. Don't you see, Sayu? This isn't just about you."

"I don't think that it is! I know that this is dangerous, but..."

Raelyn paused, waiting for her to continue.

_Bzzzt._

_'My phone... L...'_

"One second." She took the phone out of her bag, reading the message sent by L. _'Thank goodness for the bugs L insisted I wore, or else I'd be stuck.'_

_"You can't tell her. Not yet, anyway."_

"Hold on," Raelyn mumbled, typing.

_"What do I do? She wants to be in the Kira investigation. This is bad..."_

_"She was very observant, she noticed your little signs of anxiety, stress, and could see right through what you told her. Relax, Raven. Don't panic."_

_"What do I tell her?"_

_"Tell her anything that she wants to know, but don't mention that Light was Kira. I want to know if she has figured it out."_

_"So, basically avoid every question she asks, until she says something that might hint that she's figured something out?"_

The response came soon after. Raleyn could feel Sayu's eyes watching her closely. It unnerved her slightly, being studied like that. She thought she had gotten over being watched, after the Kira case.

"... _Well... Try to steer the conversation away from that, but drop little hints or clues to let her speak. Talk about the Kira case, but don't give out information that you think that she may have already found out for herself. As well as avoid saying anything about Light being Kira. I have the feeling that if she has figured it out, she may tell you. From what she's said so far, I think she may have guessed that you'd be bugged."_

_"Alright."_

Raleyn sighed, snapping the phone shut. She flinched slightly at Sayu's gaze. _'Has she noticed something...?' _

"Raven, I want you to answer me honestly on something."

"What?"

"How did Light die?"

Raelyn paused, feeling a wave of guilt, as well as sadness wash over her. _'I have to lie to her...'_

"An accident."

"When? Like, where was he?"

"He fell. Hit his head." Sayu's fists clenched as she looked up at Raleyn.

"I'm not an idiot," she whispered, barely audibly.

"What do you mean? Of course you're not an idiot, Sayu."

"I know what my brother was."

Raelyn froze again.

"So... My theory was finally confirmed. Kira's killings stop immediately after Light's death? 'Coincidence?', I had thought. No. It wasn't. Light was Kira, wasn't he?"

_'Well, what the hell do I say now? She's figured it out. What do I do, L!?'_

"..."

"Delayed response, most likely thinking of what to say," Raelyn winced at the tiredness seeping into Sayu's voice, making her sound so much older than only sixteen. She sounded like she had given up.

She absentmindedly picked at the threads of the bottom of her sleeve, unconsciously avoiding looking at Sayu. "You're playing with your sleeves. You won't make eye contact. You tensed when I said I knew. Based on _your _reactions, I'd say that I'm right."

"Sayu..."

_Bzzzt._

"That's L texting you, isn't it? You're most likely bugged. I've known this from the start. Well, hello, L. My brother was Kira. I'm a suspect now, aren't I?"

"God, Sayu, I'm so sorry..." Raelyn looked down as the kettle started to sing. Sayu stood, walking over to tend to the tea.

"Answer it. The phone," she said, pouring water into a cup. Raelyn didn't know what else to do; she answered it.

_"She's smart. Maybe having her on board wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. Her deductions are quite amazing, to be honest."_

_"L, no! She's sixteen! I'm not going to put her in danger like this!"_

_"I want to talk to her."_

_"What?"_

_"Yes. When she returns, let me speak to her."_

Raelyn paused, unsure of what to do. She bit back a sigh after a moment.

"... _Fine."_


	5. Chapter 5: Fascination

**AN**

**NOTE: If Sayu seems OOC, just think of her being as smart and observant as Light, and she isn't shy about saying what she sees or thinks when talking to Raven, L, or any of the other members of the Task Force. After all, she is trying to join in the Kira case. She'll probably be a little more Sayu-like after it's clear that she's not going anywhere. :)  
><strong>

**Second Note: Sorry these updates are taking so long! I'll try to update once or twice a week. Just wanted to say.  
><strong>

**Thank you once again to X Mika-Chan X for reviewing! **

**About Yuki... Well, I guess we'll find out. ;D To be completely honest with you, I'm still figuring out what I want to do with this. I really left the plot after the Yotsuba Arc, back in Raven, so this is all stuff that I have to plan and write. I'm really glad that I'm doing alright with this so far! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. (obviously.)**

* * *

><p>Raelyn scowled as she put the phone down on the table, earning a curious glance from Sayu. Accepting the cup handed to her, she looked down into it, her scowl leaving as quickly as it had appeared. <em>'Is this sweetened?' <em>

"L wants to speak with you," Raelyn said. At this, Sayu seemed to tense slightly, but nodded to her. _'L wants to speak with me...? Why?'_

"Really...? Oh, it's not sweetened, by the way," she said, sitting down.

"Oh. I was wondering..."

"He's waiting, isn't he?"

"Yep."

"Well?" Sayu raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what?" Raelyn asked, glancing at the clock.

"Call him already," the girl across from her sighed. "You're stalling. You're still worried about me. Please, don't be."

"How can I not...?" Raelyn mumbled, picking up the phone and dialing a number. She pressed the 'speaker' button and placed the phone down in the center of the table.

_'No voice filter,' _they both noted, listening closely to L.

"Sayu Yagami, I am L."

"I gathered," Sayu replied, sipping her tea. "You're not using a voice filter, or anything of the sort, so I'm guessing you're serious about whatever you wanted to talk about?"

"I am. You were correct in assuming that Raven was bugged; as well as all of your other deductions. It actually rather surprised me."

"So, Light was Kira..." Sayu murmured, turning her gaze to the table. She continued before Raelyn could speak, "I've known for a while, but I've been denying it. I had noticed Light acting weird before... Before..." she trailed off.

_'What the hell can you say to that? She just found out that her brother was Kira...'_

"Sayu, I-" Raelyn began.

"No, I'm alright. Anyway, L, why did you want to talk to me?"

"You said before; you wanted to join the Task Force."

Sayu looked up, her eyes wide. "You mean, you're _actually _considering letting me on!?"

"Your observation skills are impressive. You knew exactly what Raven wasn't telling you, just by body language alone. You figured out that Light was Kira," Raelyn's heart twisted as Sayu flinched slightly at these words. _'I'm so sorry, Sayu...' _"on your own." Sayu looked at the phone, then at Raelyn.

"Yes..."

"Can I cut in?" Raelyn looked into the cup.

"Go ahead," Sayu mumbled, sipping her tea, staring at the phone.

"I don't want you on the Task Force, Sayu."

"Why not!?" Sayu burst out, scowling. "It's because I'm sixteen, isn't it? I'm to young or something?"

"No! Well... Yes, but no! I don't want... It's just... I don't want you to get hurt, and this is incredibly dangerous. I'm-"

"I know, Raven! But, I don't care!"

"Why? You seem to be willing to put yourself in danger without a second thought."

"I've been thinking about this for a long, long time, Raven. Since these killings started, I've been gathering as much information as I could on this 'new Kira'. I'm not gonna just sit out and watch this murderer kill people."

"But don't you see? Any of us on the Task Force could be killed at anytime. You're willing to take that risk?"

"Yes."

"This case has nothing to do with you, Sayu," Raelyn tried.

"You're being threatened, Raven, I saw the notes. Now, you come and tell me you're Raven, and I am in a conversation with two of the greatest detectives in the world. You think that this Kira won't notice you talking to the sister of the previous Kira? This Kira has been watching you closely, from what I've seen. There's no doubt in my mind that they'll notice you talking to me, as well as L. So, just by speaking to me, you've put me into danger. L obviously knew this, or he wouldn't have asked you to come here. Although, I do doubt that I'll get any trouble, if the criminals that've been killed are any reflection on what this Kira is like."

Raelyn glared at the phone. "Yeah, I figured he had noticed that," she muttered. "So that means that you wanted her to join?"

"As I said; I'm strongly considering letting her. If she wants to, her deduction skills will be of much use to us. If she doesn't, she can resume her normal life."

"... So, Sayu, I guess it's your choice then..." Raelyn sighed. "It's up to you."

* * *

><p>After calling her father to reassure herself, Sayu grinned giddily as Watari introduced himself. <em>'Ohmygodohmygod, this is WATARI! Hahah! Oh, man, this is awesome!' <em>She was barely able to keep from bouncing in her seat in excitement as they took off towards what Raven called HQ. _'They even have headquarters! Hahah!' _

"What's up?" she asked as she noticed Raven's worried glances.

"You're sure about this?"

Sayu sighed, leaning back in the seat.

"Yes, Raven, I'm sure." She glared at Raelyn as she opened her mouth to speak. "I said I was sure, so can we just leave it...?"

Watari glanced back with a small smile as Raelyn groaned.

"Fine."

"So will I see L face to face!?" Sayu asked excitedly.

"Yes," she looked out the window, ignoring Sayu's grin as the car slowed to a stop.

* * *

><p>Sayu grinned as she went through security, absolutely giddy about seeing the <em>real L, <em>in_ person_! Stepping into the room, she gaped at the size of it all.

"This place is enormous," she whispered, not wanting to disturb the members of the Task Force. Raelyn smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Twenty-two floors above ground and two below." Sayu turned to look at her.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

_'Whoa... Neat!' _Sayu thought, her grin never faltering.

* * *

><p>"I am L."<p>

Sayu's ever-present grin faded as she gaped at him. "You're L?"

"Yes. Please call me Ryuzaki."

"Or, Ryu, as I call him," Raelyn piped up, smiling.

"Wow..."

"Yeah, he tends to get that reaction a lot," Raelyn snickered.

"You're so... Young! You can't be more than twenty-four."

"Twenty-six, actually," he corrected.

"Seriously?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes. Now, I suppose you need to know what exactly happened in the previous case, if you'll be any help at all to us."

She nodded, "Yeah, I was wondering about that..."

* * *

><p>"Ryuzaki, Raven," Soichiro gestured to another room, while the Task Force explained the events of the previous case to Sayu. Sighing, the two followed him. Raelyn was sure of what he wanted to talk to them about, just going by his expression.<p>

After the door had closed, he spoke.

"I cannot believe that you are letting my daughter onto this case," he said, glaring at them angrily.

"I didn't want her here either, but L thought that her deduction skills were going to be of great use to us," Raelyn explained. "And anyway, Light was allowed onto the first Kira case when he was seventeen, just a year older than Sayu is now."

"Yes, but..." Soichiro began, but trailed off in thought.

"If you don't want her on this case, then just do not allow her to be involved. I will not keep her here. However, I do think that her observation skills will only bring us good," L stated simply.

_'She seems so happy here, like she wouldn't give this up for the world... I can't really imagine him taking that away from her,' _Raelyn thought, smiling sadly.

Seemingly reading her mind, Soichiro sighed. "I haven't seen her this happy or excited in so long..."

"She mentioned, well, more like implied, that she wanted to become a detective."

"She has been saying that..." he agreed. "... She knows how much danger she could be in, right? You haven't left that out, have you?"

"No! Of course not!" Raelyn said quickly. "No, I wouldn't have dreamed of letting her anywhere near HQ if she didn't know what she was getting into."

"Her school," Soichiro said suddenly. "What ab-"

"She will keep attending school," L interrupted, "and any other social activities."

Soichiro hesitated, hearing Sayu laugh outside. He sighed. Before he could speak, Raelyn did.

"I will not let her get hurt." _'As long as I can help it... This is dangerous.' _

"You can't say that with one-hundred percent certainty though, can you?"

"I will admit, I cannot. I will do everything I can to keep her safe."

"Thank you," he smiled tiredly. "... If she truly wants to be here, and knows what she is doing, I don't see a reason to send her away... After all, if this Kira was going to kill us, they would have done it already, right?"

Raelyn nodded, though she knew that this may not be true.

"Maybe..." she mumbled uncertainly.

* * *

><p>Sayu's head swam with all of the information that she had been given.<p>

_'Death Note, Shinigami, Light, Kira,'_ she thought. _'the rules of the Death Note...'_

"Sayu?" She jumped slightly at Raelyn's voice. She spun around in the chair, dragging her foot along the ground to stop.

"Yep?" She watched as Raelyn hesitantly held out a piece of paper. "What's- oh... That's..."

"A scrap of the first notebook, yes. If you touch this-"

"I see the Shinigami. Ryuk, right?"

"Yes." She hesitated as Raelyn came closer, but reached out. She stood, closing her eyes. Her fingers brushed over the scrap gently, and she instantly felt as though there was something else in the room.

Opening her eyes quickly, she glanced around the room, seeing nothing. Spinning around, she stared in slight fascination, her head tilted to one side.

"Hey there, how's it going?" Ryuk grinned. Instead of screaming or cowering away, she leaned closer, watching him with wide, curious eyes.

"A Shinigami," she murmured, glancing at the notebook at his side. "So, all Shinigami have notebooks?"

"Yep."

"And you dunno who dropped this new one?"

"Nope."

"Raven said that you were incredibly vague about answering any questions. But, if I ask a question, would you answer honestly?" _'Wow. She isn't afraid of Ryuk at all,' _Raelyn thought with a small smile.

He shrugged, grinning as he spoke. "Eh, I guess."

"Hmmm..."

* * *

><p>"This is starting to freak me out bit... Kira's been silent since I promised to let you talk to him," Raelyn said quietly, playing with her thumbs.<p>

"I know, Raven," L murmured, not wanting to wake the other people in the room, which had all fallen asleep.

Raelyn stood, mumbling that she would be back, preparing another cup of tea. When she returned, she paused, setting the cup down. She glanced around the room, taking in the slow, steady breathing of the Task Force. A small smile formed on her lips as Sayu mumbled something, turning onto her side on one of the couches.

_'She's only a kid... If she gets hurt, it'll be my fault...' _

She took a few nearby blankets, tossing them gently over the Task Force. She sat back down, sipping her tea as she mentally went over everything that had happened in the last few weeks.


	6. Chapter 6: Past

_**AN**_

_Hey geeks! Sorry for not updating. This is a long AN. _

_Thinking back to some of my previous writing, I've been thinking. It's not nearly as good as I think it could be. So, I wanted to ask, any beta readers out there that are willing to help me out? I'd gladly be willing to receive help, and I will also beta read. Mostly, my problem is that I tend to make over half of the story dialogue, when I could be putting a lot more effort into detail and the like. But, that may be more of my own problem. Anyway, if anyone is interested, please let me know! :) (also, I've never had any kind of beta, so if I'm going about this all wrong, sorry. XD)  
><em>

_Thanks to** Guest**,** Light Yagami Hater**, and **Pattypop f**or reviewing!  
><em>

_**Light Yagami Hater** - Thanks! I'll try to keep them (somewhere) around that length.  
><em>

_**Pattypop** - Eh... Sorry? XD I'm not sure if you mean that she's OOC, or if you just generally don't like her, or if it's specifically how I'm writing her to be. Well... She'll be more Sayu-like. ('s that a good thing? xD) Oh, and I'm rewatching the series, so maybe they'll all be a bit more in-character...? I dunno; Sayu's only in it for a few minutes...  
><em>

_That's all! :) Oh, and, sorry if this chapter sucks, or is rushed. It's been a long, long week. :P**  
><strong>_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note._  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"So, how much did those bozos tell you?" Raelyn smiled, gesturing toward the Task Force with a wave of her hand.<p>

"Not much... They only got to where the twelve FBI agents were killed," Sayu replied, filling a cup with coffee.

"Don't drink too much of that stuff, 'kay? It'll stunt your growth." _'Crap. I don't really want to be the one to tell her that there were flippin' __cameras__ set up in her house for a time... Of course, they would leave off right before then to let someone else tell her,' _Raelyn thought, rolling her eyes.

Sayu scoffed, "You can talk. Doesn't seem to have done much to you," she laughed. Raelyn grinned.

"Well... Shut up. I'm right because I'm older."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh."

"Nope!"

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results," Raelyn smirked triumphantly. "Said by Albert Einstein."

"... Shut up," Sayu pouted falsely, failing to keep it for long, replacing it with a grin.

"Now that the absolutely mature dispute is settled," Aizawa cut in sarcastically, "can we all just get started? We have work to do."

"Jeez, Aizawa, you're no fun," Raelyn teased, setting her cup down and falling into a chair with a sigh.

"Maybe not, but at least I get work done," he muttered under his breath, glaring in her direction.

"Heard that," she said, grinning at him. "Anyway, who said I was mature?"

"This is the _second _Kira investigation, Raven. This isn't some sort of joke."

"I never thought that it was," she said as her grin faded. "It's just- this place, this general air of constant worry and tension, a little smile or joke every once in a while is an enormous relief."

"I guess," he muttered, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. He sighed, shaking his head slightly.

Raelyn didn't reply, sipping her coffee as she focused on the information on the screen once more.

* * *

><p>"The hell are those two thinking, bringing some kid onto the Task Force? I mean, I know it's the chief's daughter, but still... She shouldn't be here."<p>

"Well, maybe not, Aizawa, but she wants to be here. And anyway, it's not like Light was much older than her when he joined. You seemed fine with him," Matsuda pointed out.

"I know, but... She could easily get hurt."

"Light could've as well! He joined, and w-"

"Yeah, well, Matsuda, look at how well that turned out," Aizawa spat. Matsuda recoiled slightly at his tone, shooting him a glare. "Light's _dead_."

"I know that, but-... She really wants to be here, and I don't see a reason to tell her not to. Anyway, it's not our choice. Raven, L, and her father have sorted it out; she's staying, as long as she wants to, that is. Oh, speaking of the chief, where is he?"

"I just don't think that she should be here. Also, I think he went out for a bit."

"Anyway, I don't see why, Aizawa, she's not doing any harm," Mogi cut in, earning slightly surprised looks from the two beside him.

Around a corner, Sayu listened to their conversation with more than a little bit of disappointment. _'I didn't know I'd be a distraction,' _she thought, biting back a sigh.

"She's a bright kid," Aizawa continued. "and yeah, I see that that can't do us any harm, but if she gets hurt..."

"You don't think that they've talked it over? She obviously knows she'll be in danger, and still wants to stay."

"But why, Matsuda? Why is she so interested in this?"

There was a pause. _'... Do they... They couldn't... Do they suspect me!? Seriously?' _

"You mean..."

"Yeah, I do. Light wanted on to spy on us. Sayu is related to him. It's a possibility that you can't deny."

"But... She... I don't..."

"I wonder what L thinks of all of this..." Aizawa muttered, picking up a mug of coffee. "I'm going back."

_'Sh- crap!'_ Before she could turn, Aizawa rounded the corner, nearly bumping into her. Their eyes met, widening simultaneously, both freezing in place.

"Er... Heh... Hi..." Sayu said sheepishly, drawing the attention of the other Task Force members.

"How... How much of that did you hear?" Aizawa asked, his face paling slightly.

"Enough to know that I'm a suspect," she muttered, looking down at the floor.

"Uh... Sayu..."

"I'm not a murderer," she said quietly, turning and quickly walking out of the room, not looking back.

"Well, that's just great," Matusda groaned.

* * *

><p>Falling tiredly into a chair, Sayu barely noticed the curious glances thrown her way by the two detectives sitting – well, one perched – at the desk. Keeping her eyes on the screen, she clicked on a file to go over the information that had already been collected.<p>

She sighed quietly, letting a bit of her resentment go. _'Do I really seem like a murderer to them...?'_

"Sayu, you okay?" Raelyn asked, looking over at her.

"Eh, yeah, just tired," Sayu lied with a false smile. _'Oh, yeah, just fine and dandy, what with the Task Force thinking I'm Kira.'_

Seemingly still unsatisfied, Raelyn glanced at her again curiously before turning her attention back to the screen. Trying to sell the lie, Sayu yawned, stretching as two of the Task Force returned.

"Eh, Sayu, uh," Matsuda began.

"'s fine," she interrupted, still looking at the screen. _'Matsuda and Mogi? Where's Aizawa?'_

"Well, I just thought I'd say- don't take anything Aizawa said personally. You know, he actually didn't trust L or Raven until Light was released from confinement," he offered.

_'Yeah, 'cause that really helps,' _she thought irritatedly. Matsuda, realizing what he had said, quickly spoke again. "I, uh, well- I guess that doesn't really help, does it?" he laughed nervously.

"Not really," she muttered.

"What's goin' on, guys?" Raelyn finally asked.

"I overheard the Task Force talking about me maybe being Kira."

"You- _what_?" Glaring at the two sitting on the couches, Raelyn spun around in her chair to face them. "Seriously?" _'You let her hear that?' _she thought sadly. Even she could not dismiss the possibility.

"Er... Well..."

_'You're in for it now,' _L thought, staying silent for the time being.

"Well, we were talking about the previous case, and it turned to Light, then to Sayu, and Aizawa said something about her being a possible suspect..."

"I'm still here, ya know," Sayu muttered, spinning around in the chair to face them.

"Unfortunately," L cut in, "it is a possibility that can't be entirely ignored."

_'So, even L thinks I'm Kira. Well, isn't that just absolutely great!? Why does everyone think I'm a murderer!?'_

"Ryu!" Raelyn glared at him furiously. He shrugged.

"I'm sorry, but it's true."

Sayu scoffed lightly. _'Seriously...?'_

"Hey, Sayu," Raelyn said, glaring at the others in the room.

"Yeah?"

"Walk?" Raelyn stood.

_'Yeah, a walk actually sounds pretty nice about now.' _She stood, nodding.

"Yeah. Sure."

* * *

><p>Taking a breath of the fresh air, Sayu relaxed almost instantly. She allowed herself a small smile as she watched the leaves fly in the wind around her.<p>

"Don't mind them," Raelyn said. "They just- well, they don't trust people at first. They'll get used to you as time goes on."

"Why does everyone think I'm a murderer?" Sayu asked quietly. "I haven't done anything..."

"I know. Aizawa's the worst about it, though. He refused to trust L or myself at first, but eventually, he grew to realize that it wasn't going to help the investigation any if we're always suspicious of each other."

"Yeah..."

"I like you, kid," Raelyn said, smiling at her. "You're probably the first to actually joke about anything since we moved back into Japan." Sayu looked at her with wide eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, probably. It's always so serious in that blasted building."

Sayu scoffed, "Pfft. I've noticed. So, do you suspect me?"

"No. I don't."

"Then why were you so hesitant about letting me join?"

"We've been over this, Sayu. I'm worried about your safety, not about the likelihood of you being Kira. To be perfectly honest, I don't think you could handle killing someone."

"I don't think so either," Sayu said truthfully.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the tension and hurt leaving her gradually. "So, Raven," she began.

"'s up?"

"Were you born in England? You've got a bit of an accent," she smiled.

"Yeah, actually. Lived there 'til I was... Nineteen," Raelyn smiled.

"... Alright then. Where? Uh, I mean, eh-"

"It's fine. I was born in Winchester."

"Oh. Do you see your parents often? I mean, have you been in Japan for long?"

At seeing Raelyn's expression, her eyes widened and she immediately stammered out an apology. "Er, uh, forget it, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have -"

"No, no, it's alright. I just- my parents were killed when I was little. I was raised in an orphanage."

"I'm really sorry-"

"No, it's alright! I was just remembering. My parents would always call me a little raven because I'd run around making bird sounds. I was a weird kid," she smiled.

"Does that have anything to do with calling yourself Raven?"

"A bit... But... There is more to that story. Oh, by the way, were you ever filled in on the rest of the case?"

"Yeah... Well, a bit. They got to where... Uh... Oh! Right! Higuchi. The broadcast."

"Ah. Well, do you want to hear the rest?" Raelyn asked.

"Now?"

"Sure. There's- well, there is quite a bit, actually," she chuckled.

"Well, whatever."

"You asked a minute ago about my alias, Raven. Well, this is a good part of that story." She looked over, smiling when she saw the look of genuine interest and curiosity on Sayu's face.

"Go on, please! I'd love to hear."

"Sure... Uh, jeez, where to start," she laughed again.

"Beginning?"

"Hmm... Well, I guess I survived that night, when I shouldn't have. It was... I'm not sure how it works. I think... They just... I dunno, ignored fate, or something? I'm not sure... Anyway, that's... I don't- I _still_ don't know why, but a... A Shinigami saved me that day. I would have been killed, but..." she trailed off, her eyes growing distant. Shaking her head, she continued. "The Shinigami's name was Raven. Another Shinigami, Gelus, was around when he was killed.

"He gave me the notebook, but didn't show himself to me for a few days. I used it, not knowing if it was real or not. I... I found out that- that- it was- it..." she paused, "Anyway, it worked. I... I killed someone without knowing that it was me who had done it. When I learned of what I had done, when Gelus showed himself to me, I was absolutely horrified. I was overwhelmed with guilt and remorse for what I did, and ordered him to take the notebook back."

She looked back over, seeing that Sayu was still paying attention. She smiled, returning to the story.

"So, he did. In doing so, he took my memories of the Death Note, allowing me to forget what I did... It was... It was a-" she cleared her throat, which had begun to close. "I couldn't deal with it, which... It just...-"

"I get it," Sayu interrupted quietly. "I just... I understand... Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Mm. That's fine. Er... Well, he took the notebook back, as well as my memories. After that, I had believed that the kid had just... Well, had an accident. Anyway... You heard of Higuchi's arrest, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Alright, that makes things easier to explain-"

"Wait, I want to ask something."

"What's up?"

"Raven, that was the Shinigami who saved you, and... So, it's sort of a reminder of your past, then?"

"Yeah. The goods and bads," she said distantly. "Hey, it's cold as crap out here," she paused while Sayu snickered, smiling. "There's a cafe over there, wanna go in while I explain the rest of it?"

"Sure."

* * *

><p>"'s is so damn boring," they complained, staring at the monitor with a look of tiredness in their eyes. "And I thought this would be interesting."<p>

"Well, what'd you expect? They're just talking," Sidoh said, his voice like nails on a chalkboard as he picked up another chocolate bar.

"Lay off those, would you? I can't keep goin' to the store every day just so you can get more of that crap. After all, you're not the only one who like chocolate."

"Oh... Alright..."

"Oh, just take it," they said exasperatedly. "And don't give me that puppy-dog face. Wait... Isn't chocolate bad for dogs? Whatever; you're not a dog. Wait... Dog. God. Death god. Death dog," they broke out into laughter. "Hah! You got little- little Death Chihuahuas! Hahah!"** ***

_'I knew she was crazy,' _Sidoh thought, not without the slightest tinge of fear. _'Seriously crazy.'_

"Right?"

"What?" he asked, drawn out of his thoughts.

"You're not a dog?"

"... No, I'm not a dog, -"

"Kira. Call me Kira, remember?"

"Er, sure, Kira," he laughed nervously.

"Don't be so nervous around me all the time, I'm not gonna bite," they grinned.

"Sure..."

"Wait! Shhhh! They're talking again!"

* * *

><p>"Eh, a cup of coffee for me, please," Raelyn said distractedly. The woman smiled, writing it down.<p>

"You?"

"Same. Thanks!" Sayu grinned cheerily. The woman nodded.

"Be back in a minute," she said, walking off.

"Are you alright?" Sayu asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she dismissed her concerns with a smile, trying to remember where they had left off.

"So, Higuchi's arrest," Sayu hinted, watching her curiously.

"Right! Sorry. Well... This is where it gets hairy again... And where Light comes back in."

"It's alright. Go ahead."

"... Okay. When Higuchi was arrested, I was ordered to get the notebook out of the car, where he had hidden it. When I touched the notebook... Everything came back to me. Writing the name, learning of what I had done, Gelus... Everything just- it suddenly made sense. I blacked out. While I was unconscious, Light got the Death Note, which triggered his memories as well. After that, he was Kira again..."

"Go on."

"... Well... Light waited a few days before making a move. He was unchained from Ryuzaki, under the impression that he couldn't have been Kira, due to the thirteen day rule. I... I knew that he was going to use the Shinigami, Rem, to kill Ryuzaki, so I spoke to her."

* * *

><p>"<em>Rem," Raelyn called, gesturing to another room. Watching her warily, the Shinigami followed her. When the door had shut, they turned to face each other, watching the other distrustfully.<em>

"_What is it?"_

"_I need you to do something."_

_"Yes?"_

_"I know about Light's plan to kill L..." She watched as the Shinigami narrowed her eyes at her._

_"I don't und-"_

_"Don't try to pull that crap with me," she snapped, growing impatient. "I know."_

_"What do you want me to do?"_

_"This is going to sound insane, but please. Just do it."_

_"... What is it?"_

* * *

><p>Raelyn shivered at the memory.<p>

"What?"

"Huh- oh, nothing. Sorry. Anyway, I made a deal with Rem. She was to kill me."

"_What_!?" Sayu burst, covering her mouth with her hands as she caught the attention of a nearby couple. She smiled at them, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. She turned, facing the woman across from her. "What?" she demanded in a lower tone.

"Nice going," Raelyn grinned. "Anyway, yes, you heard correctly. Rem was going to kill me. She did... Actually..."

"So... Then..."

"No, I'm not a zombie," she laughed.

"Oh. Well, that clears that up," Sayu joined in.

"Anyway," Raelyn continued, "I... I got to spend the rest of the day with the Task Force. Ryuzaki said that they were going to test out the notebook, the thirteen day rule in particular. That was when... That... That was when Rem had agreed to kill me. It... It was... It felt like... Well, like I was having a heart attack. And I was."

"I'm... I'm so sorry," Sayu whispered, watching her with wide eyes.

"It's alright. You needed to know this. Anyway, I...-"

* * *

><p><em>The desperate, worried cries of alarm from the Task Force went unheard to her as she struggled to breathe, her heart beating erratically in her chest. She was vaguely aware that she had fallen into the arms of the only person in the world in that moment that she felt could do anything to help her; even if it was just to hold her as she breathed her last.<em>

"_Raven!" _

"_Please, god, no, Raven, please! Please!"_

"_What's happening!?"_

_Sounds dulled, her breathing slowed, and her eyes began to close. Her last sight was one that would forever haunt her._

_Light smirked down at her, his lips curled up into a vicious, victorious smile._

_Nothingness..._

* * *

><p>"-n? -ven? Raven!" She focused, jumping as Sayu looked at he curiously. "Are you okay!?"<p>

"Err, uh, yeah, I'm sorry..."

"What is it?"

"Nothing, just... I remember..."

"Remember what?"

"Hah, well, this is going to sound... Odd, but I remember what death was like. Well, for me, anyway..."

"Uhhh... You don't have to go on," Sayu started.

"No, no, I'm fine. Anyway, I survived."

"How?"

"Remember Misa?"

"Yeah?"

"She saved me," Raelyn said with a sad smile.

"What?"

"Yeah. I'll explain the rules - or someone will- later. But, I survived. Misa asked me for help, realizing that the moment her usefulness was gone, Light would probably kill her. Uh, I'm sorry..."

"'s fine..." Sayu trailed off.

"You sure? You look kind of sick."

"I'm okay. Go on," she sighed.

"Alright... Well... We made a plan; I would take the Death Note from her apartment, while she and Ryuzaki kept Light away. I succeeded, and, before I knew it, Light was caught. As was Misa. Misa told them everything about forgetting the notebook, as well as everything else that they didn't know. They... As you know, they were both executed."

"Yeah..." Sayu said quietly, stirring her coffee with a spoon absentmindedly.

"Sayu, are you alright? I-"

"Well..." she looked up. She swallowed, forcing down the lump in her throat to allow her to speak. "Sort of..."

"I'm so sorry... I could have stopped at any-"

"No! I wanted to know, it's just- he... He was my brother. And he was a murderer. He's dead now... It's just... It's still..."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's alright. I asked, I wanted to know, and thank you for telling me," she said, watching the spoon create a little whirlpool in the half-full mug. Silence filled the air between them, neither knowing what to say.

Both jumped as Raelyn's phone went off, vibrating loudly on the table. Quickly snatching it up, she mumbled an apology before flipping it open to reveal the contact. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Ryu?"

"Are you both alright?"

"Eh? Uh, yeah, we're fine," she said, shrugging when Sayu looked at her curiously. "Why?"

"You've been out for quite a while. I was beginning to worry." Raelyn smiled.

"We're good. We'll probably be back soon."

"Alright..."

"Something wrong?"

"No."

"... Alright... Anyway, 'll see ya."

Flipping the phone closed when the call was disconnected, she looked up. Sayu glanced at her curiously. She sighed, placing the phone into her pocket.

"What? You keep looking at me like that," she smiled.

"Nothing, just... I've been wondering..."

"About what?"

"You and him... Are you... Eh..." she trailed off, grinning at Raelyn.

"What?"

"Are you two, you know... Together?"

Raelyn laughed, "Why?"

"Just curious. So, are you?"

"... Mayyybe."

"Oh, come on! I've seen the way you look at each other," her grin widened. "You're totally together."

"... Alright, maybe we are," Raelyn smirked. "Maybe we aren't."

"Would it kill you to give a straight answer!?" she laughed merrily, Raelyn quickly joining in. _'It's nice to see her actually laugh. Her acting is nearly as good as Light's was, sometimes.'_

"No, but I doubt I'll give you one any time soon."

"Aww! You and Ryuzaki would totally make an adorable couple."

She smiled. _'Maybe,' _she thought, drinking the rest of the -now cold- coffee in a single go. She made a face, but managed to swallow it.

"I do that _way _too often," she grumbled, grinning at Sayu's laugh.

* * *

><p><em><strong>*<strong> - It just occurred to me: this isn't meant in any way to be offensive or make fun of anything. I just wanted to make it clear that this Kira isn't entirely sane. Just wanted to say! Thanks for reading, geeks! :)_


	7. Chapter 7: B

_**AN**_

_Hey geeks! So, I'm not gonna lie; last chapter was mostly filler, and not very good. I'm sorry! I wanted to get the point across that Raelyn and Sayu are gonna be good friends, and that yes, Sayu actually does know what's going on and happened in the first Kira case, and to make it a bit clearer that this new Kira's not exactly entirely sane. I'm a little hesitant to post this chapter, mostly because I'm overly-critical of myself and think it's not as good as it could be, especially the code part (yeah, there's a code later. XD). Which, there is always room for improvement, but I've really just gotta learn to get over it.  
><em>

_I'm really sorry for updating so damn slowly lately. I've been really busy lately and am possibly considering putting this on halt until I know how I want everything in this story to go down. Maybe...? Probably not, but right now I'm not sure._

_About the code, later on, I'm a little unsure about it. Too obvious? Too obscure? I dunno, I pretty much did that on a whim, and it just sort of appeared, so... yeah. If it's similar to another in any other fanfic or something, whoops, didn't know. (I'm always paranoid about that kind of thing. :P) Also, the thing with Sayu (chapter spoilers, hah) will be discussed and worried over between the characters soon. I'm not dismissing it, I swear! Anyway, thanks for reading, fellow geeks!  
><em>

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p>The air had mostly calmed down after Raelyn had – almost literally – held Sayu back to avoid her slapping L, furious over the news that cameras had been set up in her home for a time during the first Kira case. Sayu still shot L deadly glares, but they had decreased in both number and intensity over the past two hours or so. Raelyn was just glad that it had - sort of - simmered down, if replaced by an uncomfortable silence.<p>

Silence, which was disturbed only by the tapping of the keyboards filled the room, threatening to drive Raelyn up the wall. Unable to take it anymore, she spoke.

"Alright," she said suddenly, disrupting the silence that the room had fallen into. She shoved away from the desk, sending her spinning away from it in the rolling chair. "Who wants tea? Coffee? Cocoa? Anyone...? I'm making."

* * *

><p>When she returned, setting a cup down in front of both L and Sayu, she sipped absentmindedly at the scalding hot chocolate. A welcome change from the usual coffee, she noted. Neither of the two beside her moved. At another glance, they seemed tense and rigid, both a little paler than usual. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity at the lack of response, she sat down.<p>

"You two okay?"

"Raven, I need to speak to you. Sayu, you as well," L said quietly. Raelyn looked at him curiously, then at Sayu.

* * *

><p>"So, what's up?" Raelyn asked as soon as the door had shut behind the three. L ignored her question for the moment, turning to Sayu, who nodded in understanding of the situation. "... Eh... you okay?"<p>

The two turned to her simultaneously, managing to successfully creep Raelyn out. _'… This is odd.'_

"While you were away," Sayu started, watching her nervously. "the screens went blank for a minute. They came back, but... there were, well... you said Kira knows all of our names and faces, right...?"

Raelyn raised an eyebrow, sweeping her long, auburn hair back with an seemingly uncaring gesture, trying to hide any nervousness that threatened to show. "Yes...?"

Glancing at L, Sayu sighed before continuing, "There were names and photos of five people"

"... Who?" Raelyn asked hesitantly.

"... Raelyn Caw," Sayu said quietly, Raelyn immediately freezing in her place. The anxiety and tenseness in the air only grew as the younger went on, listing each name."Nate River, Mihael Keehl, Mail Jeevas, and... L Lawliet. "

* * *

><p>"What the hell do you mean, our identities were given to the Task Force!?" Mello roared, Raelyn wincing. One of the other two in the room, listening with a thoughtful expression, lifted his head slightly. Crouched on the floor however, seeing more than a white mop of hair was difficult.<p>

"It's true. Though, it wasn't the entire Task Force. Just Sayu, thankfully..." Near trailed off in thought, twirling a lock of his hair. _'If she knows L's name, as well as our own, she could be a possible threat...'_

"_Thankfully_! Are you kidding me!? We don't even know who this kid is! For all we know, she's Kira for-"

"She's not," Raelyn interrupted suddenly, narrowing her eyes. "There's no way."

"How do you know?" he hissed. "She could be playing you all like idiots."

"She's not capable of murder-"

"Isn't that what Light said, about himself? Well, look at just how innocent he was." Raelyn paused, her eyes narrowing further, hidden by bangs. Blowing them out of the way irritatedly, she went on.

"You don't know her."

"... We could," Matt said suddenly, pausing his game.

"... I know what you're implying, and the answer is n-"

"Come on, Raelyn! We just want to help!" Mello yelped in response to a cuff on the back of the head, given by Matt. "Bastard," he hissed, glaring at the brunet.

Tossing the handheld to the side, watching with a small amount of sadness as it skidded away from him on the couch, Matt looked at the camera thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "... Mell's got a point, Ray. If this kid has out identities, and even the_ slightest_ possibility of being Kira, we want to know."

"You're asking me to-!"

"Let us on, actually let us go to Japan, with you all," Matt finished simply. "Even if only to watch this kid. After all, we_ are_ you and L's successors, and have little experience with actually going onto the field. You know that. Anyway, if she _isn't_ Kira, and is as smart as you've said, she maybe a potential succe-"

"No."

"... Alright, but the previous point still remains."

"You're saying- Matt, do you- you're joking, right?"

"Serious as a heart attack," he said with an ironic, dry smile. "Come on, what could go wro-"

Clapping a hand over his friend's mouth, Mello spoke over the annoyed grunt he received in response. "Don't say it; that's probably the worst thing you could say in this situation. Don't go tempting fate. Anyway, Raven, he's right!"

"... If I _did _let you on, which I probably won't, I would want you to promise me that, if anything happens, you'd leave."

"Define 'anything'. If you guys die, we're pretty much fucked as well, whether we do go or not. If we're gonna go out, why not together?" Matt asked grimly, having shoved Mello's hand away from his mouth with a glare. "And anyway, I don't fancy the idea of just sitting around and waiting to be killed."

"This isn't some video game or something, Matt," Raelyn said, glaring at the screen. "You're talking about your lives, here! You could actually die, don't you get that?"

"Obviously, Raven! If we go over there and get killed, – which, by the way, genius, Kira has our names, so it wouldn't really matter if we _do_ go. Kira might just kill us anyways – then at least we'll have gone out fighting this freak."

Indecision tore at Raelyn, biting her lip worriedly.

"How badly do you _really_ want to do this?" she asked quietly, staring at the screen with obvious anxiety. "You could be_ killed_, guys, are you sure you want to take that risk...?"

Mello nodded firmly, whipping out a chocolate bar. "Yes."

"I am," Matt said with a reassuring smile, to which Raelyn returned a half-hearted attempt.

Only a moments hesitation before Near also piped in, "... Yes."

_'… Great. Now, I'll have four little brats to look after and take care of, instead of just one,' _Raelyn thought with a small sigh. _'… that was harsh. They're not brats, just... horribly stubborn.'_

With a sudden and overwhelming urge to change their minds, which she quickly stomped down, she looked down at her clasped hands.

_'If any of them are hurt, it will be my fault... though, they had a point. Kira knows their names anyhow, and they truly want to help us with this. They don't trust Sayu, which is understandable, but... come on, Raelyn, are you sure you can do this? Send them over here, only to possibly get them killed?'_

The thought gave her a sharp pang of anxiety, but forced it down reluctantly. _'It's their choice... I can't force them to stay there.'_

* * *

><p>"What did you tell them?" L asked, hopping onto the couch and taking his usual position. She had long since grown accustomed to his stare, getting used to it rather quickly back on the first Kira case. Now, with his eyes on her, she barely stifled a smile. It fell completely when she sat opposite him, the seriousness of both the air and situation settled into the room.<p>

"To wait. If I'm going to let them on, I need you and the others to know, and, of course, be okay with it."

"It's fine by me, though you may want to ask the Task Force about it. They, as you recall, weren't very happy with Sayu's unexpected arrival."

"True, but they're used to her now. We all are. Look, I already have enough on my plate with her _alone_. If I have to watch them as well... I knew it wasn't a good idea to let a kid onto the Task Force," she muttered, running a hand through her hair tiredly. "'s just a big load of stress and trouble."

"As you said before, Raelyn, they're used to it now. Neither Sayu nor the successors are incapable of taking care of themselves; they aren't stupid."

"I know, I know. Trust me; she's _far _from stupid. Have you heard some of the conversations we've had? Kid's bloody brilliant," Raelyn smiled, though it quickly dropped as she went on. "... but, they're still just kids."

"I quote; "Kid's bloody brilliant"," L said with a small smile, which, she had noticed, had come more often in the past year.

"True," she sighed, "however, that's not what I'm worried about. Don't you get it...? If they're hurt, it's all on me."

Before she could go on, L jumped off of the couch, heading straight for her. She watched him curiously as he stopped in front of her, staring down at her seriously.

"If that happens," he said slowly. "it will not be because of you."

"How do you know? I've let Sayu on, which might get her hurt or killed, and now I'm about to let Nate, Mihael, and Mail on..."

"It will be my fault."

"Huh?"

"I specifically asked you to tell Sayu that we were considering letting her on; she caught onto that chance, and pounced on it. So, I basically gave her an invitation, which might very well get her killed. She knew this and was still willing to join. In a way – indirect, maybe – it will be on my head, should anything happen to her or the successors. They know the dangers, the possibility of getting killed, even, and still want to be here. If they want, they can, as long as they know exactly what they're getting into. Mind you, this is all what_ I_ think. Now, all that's left is for _you_ to decide if they should or not."

Raelyn bit her lip in thought, absently chewing on it softly. After a moment, she stopped, focusing. L, she had noticed, had resumed his crouch on the opposite end of the couch, still watching her closely.

"... If they want to," she said quietly, "I see no reason to stop them. At least if they're here, we can make sure they're alright."

"Mm," L agreed, carefully picking up a steaming paused, turning from him in favor of looking out of a window. She admired the sparkling lights outside, absentmindedly tracing the outline of frost on the glass.

"... I'll tell them to pack their bags."

* * *

><p>"Raven? L? You, uh, may wanna come take a look at this," Matsuda said awkwardly, poking his head into the room.<p>

"What's up?"

"Some sorta code?" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

* * *

><p>"... Hmm..." Raelyn hummed, staring at the mix of letters, symbols, and numbers on the screen in fascination. Quickly grabbing a pen and paper, she went to work writing it down.<p>

_z-x+3+20-j+5-1+3_

Glancing up to make sure that she had written it down properly, she once again fixed her gaze on the paper._  
><em>

"There's another bit," Matsuda pointed out, gesturing to the second part.

_z-x+7+9+b-12-h-c+24_

_'…'_

"Interesting," Sayu mumbled absentmindedly, scratching at the paper with a pencil.

"What's up?"

"Just... hmm, is all. It's odd..."

"How so?"

"Hold on..."

Shrugging, Raelyn looked back down at the paper with an odd sense that she was missing something.

_'Z minus X... If that's literal, like Z minus X, then that'd be a B. Probably not it, but... Eh, it's the first thing that came to mind, so I'll go with it. No harm in trying, right? Anyway... B plus three would be E, and- wait huh?'_

Glancing over at Sayu, bent over her paper in thought, she smiled. _'This is a bit interesting.'_

"Any theories?" All attention turned to the two.

"... Well, a couple," Sayu said with a smile. "Z minus X- if you look at it like Z minus X, as in twenty-six minus twenty-four and compared that to a number, that'd be B, right? B plus three- two plus three, or in letters, E."

Raelyn gave an approving smile, not taking her eyes off of the paper. _'If it_ _is like that, it shouldn't be that difficult, provided we get the order of the numbers and letters right. B, E... hmm...'_

_'B, E... five plus twenty- Y. B, E, Y... B E Y... Y minus J, O. B, E, Y, O...'_

She stopped.

_'J plus five minus one. Four. Fourteen, N. Beyon...'_

She froze.

_'One plus 3. Four, D... Beyond.'_

"Beyond," she whispered, a wave of deja vu washing over her instantly. _'Beyond sometimes gave me puzzles like this...'_

"Beyond?" someone asked.

"Er, nothing," she said quickly, though shared a quick glance with L. _'Beyond isn't just a normal word for us, is it L?' _she thought. As though he could read her mind, he shook his head very slightly. Crossing out possible answers, she smiled a little warily at the seeming simplicity of it.

_'The rest of the 'code'... Z minus X, again, B. B – two – plus seven, I. I plus nine, R. B I R. Bir... R plus B – two – T. Birt. T, minus twelve, minus H... wait, hm...? Oh, T minus twelve, twelve minus H, or eight... that's the only thing that seems to make sense. Four, D. D minus C, A... and finally, A plus twenty-four, Y.'_

_z-x+3+20-j+5-1+3_

_ BEYOND  
><em>

_z-x+7+9+b-12-h-c+24_

_ BIRTHDAY_

She leaned back with an enormous sigh.

_'Beyond Birthday.'_

* * *

><p>"Damn it, damn it, damn it," she breathed over and over again, seething with a rage unseen to the Task Force, alone in her own room just minutes later. Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes, breathing deeply. <em>'Calm down, Raelyn, it's just Kira messing with you, and doing a rather good job of it at that,' <em>her reason told her, but the more emotional side took over quickly. _'I can't- this- that-!__'_

"Raelyn."

She froze, her breathing – which had been loud and fast, just a moment before – hitching abruptly at the sound of the familiar voice. _'No... it can't be...'_


	8. Chapter 8: Snow

_**AN**_

…

_Hey geeks! ObviouslyADeathNoteFan has returned, after almost a month! (... I'm so sorry!)  
><em>

_This chapter was unbelievably difficult. I hadn't really planned what I wanted to do with that cliffhanger, so I ended up writing and re-writing the opening about four times. Started from scratch earlier today, so I hope it isn't too bad. More on the ever-mysterious, barely-introduced Yuki! Yay! :D  
><em>

_Thanks to **Light Yagami Hater **for reviewing, and possibly being a future beta! _

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**_

* * *

><p>"Raven! Hey- oh... are you-" Sayu started happily, grinning over in Raelyn's direction before cutting herself off mid-sentence. The red-haired girl standing at the end of the room seemed almost... absent. Sayu took an instant disliking to the dead-eyed stare that the older possessed; the usual, bright blue eyes seeming to have darkened by several shades.<p>

"What's up with her?" Ryuk laughed. Sayu glanced at the Shinigami, who had been noticeably more quiet than usual. Either that, she thought, or she just hadn't noticed him as much after her first few days.

"Ryuzaki," she said quietly, "I need a word, if you aren't too _busy_." The emphasis on the last word earned a few curious glances from those around her. With slight hesitation, the detective stood.

"No; actually-"

"Follow me." Sayu's eyes widened at the well-hidden ice that laced Raelyn's tone. Wordlessly, the man in question followed the unusually silent girl out of the room.

* * *

><p>As the door clicked shut behind him, L took note of the tenseness in the woman's shoulders, the clenching and slackening of her fists, the way she kept her back to him.<p>

"You knew." He almost didn't hear it.

"Wh-"

"You knew, all this time. You _knew_."

"Knew what?"

Raelyn turned slowly, a sheet of bangs covering her eyes. Frustratedly, she blew them out of the way – she really needed a trim. He nearly took a step back at the amount of sheer betrayal in her eyes, mixed with an undeniably obvious sense of _fury_.

"You _bastard_," she hissed, taking a step towards him. Resisting the urge to back away, his eyes narrowed slightly in confusion as she went on. "You _knew_ that he was alive. Yet you didn't tell me!? You _let me suffer like that_!?"

"W-"

"Shut it!" she snapped, taking another step closer. This time, he did take a step back, alarm flashing through his eyes. What was she-

… Oh. He knew _exactly_ what she was referring to, and he had really not known how to bring it up. After all, how could you really tell someone that their best friend – who they thought was dead – was, in reality, alive.

"How _could _you? You-"

"I didn't know how to tell you. I honestly was-"

"I don't give a _rat's ass_. You let me think that he was _dead_. For almost _three years_. How long have you known?"

Lowering his eyes, he said quietly, "About two months."

"Two months."

"Yes."

She shut her eyes, turning her back to him once more. Neither moved, seemingly frozen for what felt like an eternity. Finally, after a few moments of silence, L spoke.

"How did you find out...?"

She let out a noise that wasn't quite a scoff. "You don't know? Oh, he just left. About... a minute ago."

L blinked. "What?"

"He appeared upstairs, after I stormed out. He told me something." She took in a sharp breath before speaking. "Some sorta riddle, damn him."

"Raelyn...?"

"Said,_ 'Yuki will fall,'_ or something to that effect. Yuki... Snow..."

"Snow will fall," L said. "The choice of words seems a bit odd. Yuki. I wonder..."

"I thought the same thing. But, Ryu," she swallowed, "why didn't you tell me...?"

L suppressed a small wince at the lost, hurt tone that slipped in between her words. She still wasn't facing him... He took a slightly cautious step forward.

"I didn't know how. I would have earlier, but-" As his hand reached her shoulder, she shrugged it off, turning to glare at him.

"You could have said_ 'Hey Raelyn! Guess what! Beyond's alive!'_ It would at least have been _something_, L!" Her furious expression partly gave way to betrayal once again. "Beyond had to come to me _himself_ to tell me this little fact that you had known for, what, _two fucking months_!?"

"It... Raelyn, I-"

"Don't _Raelyn_ me!" she snapped, throwing herself into a chair with an almost childlike huff. "I'm sick of it! With the secrets, half-truths, or just blatant lies, I honestly don't know how much more I can take! Come on! After the first Kira case, I thought it would get better, Lawliet, I really did! Well, I was wrong!"

This hadn't exactly come from nowhere; he had known how much this had irritated her over the years, casting annoyed glances at him occasionally, usually soon replaced with a weary look and breaks shortly after. Her anger was, at least partly, justified.

Another brief moment of silence passed.

* * *

><p>"Sayu, don't eavesdrop," Soichiro said, watching his daughter wearily as she walked quietly over to the door.<p>

"But-"

"Sayu!"

Halfway to the door, she turned, hesitated, and bit her lip. She had long since learned to ignore the occasional curious glances from the Task Force, who were too busy working to seem to care anyhow; with, of course, the exception of Matsuda. "But she looked so... upset, dad. I'm just curious..."

"That's between her and Ryuzaki. Whatever it is, I doubt it has much relevance to the current case."

Whelp. There goes any chance of finding out what had so clearly ruffled the older girl, Sayu realized with a small sigh.

"But don't you think it might? I mean..."

"If it does," her father said with finality, "then they will tell us. If not, let's leave it up to them."

"But... Beyond Birthday, what did that mean? Raven obviously knew."

"Beyond was a friend of Raven's. For a time, we all believed that he had gone," a voice said from behind her.

Sayu jumped violently, whirling around to face L with a small sound of surprise. How the _hell_ did he move so quietly!?

"Don't _do_ that, Ryuzaki!" she yelped, "You scared me!"

"Sorry," came the indifferent, if not slightly amused, response. Sayu rolled her eyes, smiling exasperatedly. "Raven will be out in a few moments," he said.

Sayu nodded, casting a curious glance to the door that Raelyn had yet to come out of.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Yuki! Dinner!"<p>

"'Kay! Be down in a sec!"

The notebook closed with a small _whap_ as the girl tossed it to the side, brushing long, black hair out of her eyes with a gesture of annoyance. Tossing the notebook underneath her mattress, she narrowed her eyes as the thought that she should _really_ find a better place for that thing crossed her mind.

She halted in front of the mirror, putting her hair back in a messy pony-tail before making the trip downstairs.

"Dad still at work?" she asked, sitting at the table. Her mouth watered as the smell of food finally caught her attention; her hunger made clear as her stomach gave out a loud, obnoxious groan.

"Yep. Hey, 's your homework done?"

Yuki rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"

"... No," her sister teased, setting a plate down in front of Yuki before sitting across from her.

"Eh, I like to get it done early."

"That's true."

Yuki found herself getting lost in thought as the conversation went on, answering with nods or grunts when she hadn't been paying attention; it didn't help that her sister, Akiko, had a habit of rambling. Her attention, however, was brought back as Kira was mentioned.

"Have you heard of this "New Kira"? It's all over the news; people won't shut up about it."

"Yep," Yuki said through a mouthful of rice. Choosing her words carefully, knowing full well of her sister's opinion of the first Kira, she went on. "It's pretty scary. Do you think it's the first one again? Whoever that was?"

"Naw, this one seems... Much different. The attitude seems even more arrogant and self-righteous than the last one," the other girl snarled.

"Damn, Akiko." _That kinda hurt_, Yuki thought with a little prick of resentment that quickly vanished.

"Sorry. But I figured you out of anyone would know what I think of that selfish, arrogant-"

"No need for the full dictionary," Yuki gave a false laugh. "Anyway, thanks for dinner."

"Eh, no problem. Hey, could you do me a favor...?"

Yuki gave an exaggerated sigh, "What?"

"Eh, go to Sayu's or something? I... might have promised Rin I'd let him come over for a bit to watch a movie."

Yuki's smirk widened. "Oh, really? A _movie_, huh?"

She laughed as her sister quickly flushed red, stuttering, "N-no, you perv! I- I mean-! Yes! No! Damn it, what do you want me to say? I bought a movie recently that he was really excited to see."

"Uh-huh. _Sure_."

"Don't say it like that! I swear, you're such a perv sometimes!"

"You called me a perv twice in the last minute. I'm merely agreeing to leave for a while. I never implied anything. You're the one who seems to have the dirty mind here, sis."

"Shut up! Anyway, will you leave or not?"

"Alright, alright. I'll call her."

"I really doubt she'll say no, you two haven't really seen each other much lately."

"That's true."

* * *

><p>"Yuki will fall? What's that supposed to mean?"<p>

"We don't know. It was an anonymous tip, that's all. I really doubt it means anything."

Sayu eyed Raelyn curiously. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Raelyn said, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to ward off an oncoming headache. She was sure that Sayu had noticed her mood, but at the moment, she couldn't have cared less. The kid knew that it wasn't all sunshine and roses; far from it. After all, this was the Kira investigation – combine that with the argument that she'd had with L, as well as Beyond's surprise visit, only to vanish once more (how he had managed to do so without setting anything off puzzled and infuriated both L and herself), it was enough to make her a little irritable.

She sighed.

This case,_ this_ _damn case_. She had thought she was _through_ with Kira; that she wouldn't have to deal with this again. With every case she had taken on, with or without L, she had always known the feeling of immense guilt that plagued her upon learning that there had been a new victim. That must have been why L slept so rarely, and for such short amounts of time. Watari, I need coffee. No, I will not go to sleep. Not yet, anyhow.

Not until I inevitably collapse from exhaustion. There are many things to do, people to save, criminals to catch. I cannot afford to waste time on such things.

Though... L had been there for the last two- _three_ years. That had helped more than she thought possible. Alone, she'd had to deal with things as expected; alone. Working side by side with the world's greatest detective (more like the world's most stubborn asshole, she'd thought at times) had been partly the reason she had kept going for all this time.

She had seen things that she could have gone her _entire life_ without, had never had anyone to confide in or talk to until the bastard hacked into her laptop. Since then, things had gotten much easier – but, at the same time, much more difficult. While she had gone to him for help on more than a couple occasions, she hadn't seen much of the _detective himself_. Crime scenes, sure, but not him. Not much, anyhow.

At times, she wondered how he managed to keep that constantly emotionless mask on; but, she had noticed, he had gradually learned to let her in – at least a little. There was still so much about him that she didn't know – and wanted to. Something that both annoyed and fascinated her, something that hadn't changed much throughout her time working with him, was that... He knew all about her; her background, her parents, her past, everything, but she knew so, so little of him.

She knew that his parents had been killed when he was merely eight years old, had grown up in Wammy's House until he was about twelve. He had, occasionally, gone back to stay for a period of a few months at a time, before he had been recognized as L. One of the last times he had visited for more than a week had been during the time that Raelyn had appeared, fresh off of the streets after her parents had been killed.

As hard as she tried, which wasn't honestly very hard, she couldn't manage to stay furious with L for long periods of time. She knew, inevitably, she would have to accept that he had kept Beyond's condition from her; as angry as it made her, if she wanted to stay with him, she would have to. And, obviously, she didn't want to leave. This wasn't to say that she wasn't still _royally_ pissed at him; dear lord no.

But, at the same time, Beyond could have _at least_ _called her_. That annoying, hypocritical, -

Her eyes focused once more, drawn out of her mental musings as a gloved hand reached out and waved in front of her eyes. Her head jerked back, startling the owner of the hand into swiftly drawing away.

Orange goggled-covered blue eyes smiled down at her. Blinking a few times to assure herself that she hadn't drifted off, she grinned – somewhat confusedly – up at him.

"Hey! Sorry, I was kinda zoning out."

"As if that weren't obvious," came the amused reply, "I've been calling you for almost three minutes."

Suddenly aware of the feeling of being watched, she looked around at the members of the Task Force. Well... That explained it then; the entire room was watching her at that moment. How long had he been calling her? She smiled awkwardly.

"... Sorry."

"Hello again, Raven."

A splash of white on the gray floor caught her attention.

"Hey, Near."

_Mell's probably off to get some sort of chocolate_, she thought with a small smile. She kept it from turning into a smirk as she caught sight of Sayu blushing and looking at her monitor, sneaking glances at the white-haired boy on the ground. _Poor kid..._

Apparently oblivious to the sideways glances, Near spoke up. "It'll be a pleasure to work with you all. I look forward to it."

Raelyn could have sworn she saw the corner of his lip twitch upwards as Sayu made another quick glance, not quite fast enough to avoid gaining the attention of the teen. Realizing this, the slight shade of pink on her cheeks darkened.

"Uh, I-" Sayu stuttered, clearing her throat. "Wouldn't it be safer, being L's and Raven's successors, to be... somewhere else? I mean... it's the Kira case after all, and they already know our names..."

"As I've been told, so do you."

Silence.

"Wel- well, yeah, but-"

"We came mostly to be a part of the Task Force, but also to keep an eye on anyone who knows our true identities; namely, you, as both Raven and L knew before, and they're obviously no threat."

Sayu stayed silent. Raelyn winced at his cold, usual tone. _Couldn't you have said that with a little more... I don't know, sympathy? After all, it's not her fault..._

"Near, I-" she began sharply.

"No, it's a perfectly valid reason," Sayu cut in, smiling sadly at the teen. "I'd probably wanna do the same in your position."

Shooting Near a glare, Raelyn sighed as a familiar blond stepped into the room, L following shortly after.

"I see you've come back to reality," Mello smirked.

"Awh, shut up. When did you guys even get here? It hadn't been more than a minute, I thought..."

"Your measure of time is _way_ off, then. It was a good two minutes before you responded."

"... Huh."

Sayu jumped as her phone began to ring, vibrating loudly against the table. She quickly swiped it, looking at the called ID with a small amount of surprise.

_**Yuki Kitamura**_

"Yuki!" she said brightly after picking up.

"Yo! How've you been?"

"Eh, good," she mouthed an apology as she left the room, glad for the distraction in the slightly awkward conversation. "What's up?"

"Uh, d'you think I could come over for a while?"

Sayu glanced at the door, "Sure! Uh, I'm actually not there right now, but I should be home in a few minutes." _I was going to leave anyhow._

"Great! Lemme know when you get there!"

"Sure! See you!"

The phone shut with a snap as Sayu left the room, heading back. She hesitated before closing the door, wondering if she should really leave just after the successors had arrived. After all, it might just seem _more _suspicious to them, the pricks. With a shrug, she decided that it didn't matter; they were going to think _anything_ she did was suspicious. _This must be what it was like for Light, when he had no memories, only it was worse for him_, she thought absently.

"Dad?" Her father looked away from his monitor.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going home; Yu called me, wanting to know if she could come over."

"Sure, that's fine," he replied, trying not to sound distracted.

She was halfway out the door, pulling on a coat and muttering quick goodbyes before she paused.

"You're doing it again, dad," she said softly, heading out, into the cold, winter air. Of course, he would know what she meant; during the first Kira case, as well as a few others that had come along during his time at the NPA, it would sometimes get to the point where he would have to be reminded of the other important things in his life.

Sayu shook her head slowly, watching her breath leave her mouth and dissipate into the cold.

* * *

><p>"Sayu!" Yuki bolted for the younger girl, hugging her tightly. "Long time no see!"<p>

"No kidding! Need air though!" Sayu gasped out, recovering her balance from the unexpected, friendly attack. While Yuki was older, it didn't mean she truly acted like it at times.

"Whoops! Sorry!"

"Gaaahhh!" Sayu panted, laughing as she led the girl inside. The two quickly took their shoes off, shrugging off coats and scarves.

"Sayu? I didn't know you'd be home so early! And- oh my - is that you, Yuki!?"

"Yup! Hey, Sachiko, it's been a long time!" Yuki grinned, accepting a hug from the older woman.

"I'll put some tea on," Sachiko said, beaming happily as she turned. Giggling, Yuki ran to Sayu's room.

"Thanks, mom!" Sayu called, racing after her friend.


End file.
